UES Woman, 93, Scammed By Man Pretending To Be Grandson: Police

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — The NYPD is trying to identify a scammer who preys on elderly women and robs them of thousands of dollars by pretending to be their grandson, police said.

The conman is accused of stealing $9,500 from an Upper East Side woman in June, police said. The 93-year-old received a phone call on June 12 from a man who said he was her grandson and told her that he had been arrested and needed $9,500 in cash to cover bail and legal fees. A few hours later, an unknown man came to the woman's Madison Avenue and East 86th Street to pick up the money.

Police have tied the conman to two similar scams in Queens. In total, the man stole $29,000 from the three women, police said.

The suspect is described as a man in his 20s or 30s who was last seen wearing a dark track suit with animal-print stripes. Police released a photo of the man taken by a camera in a Queens building where one of his victims lives.

Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).